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Euthanasia

Euthanasia
Background:
* What’s Euthanasia? * The Pro-Life Alliance defines it as: 'Any action or omission intended to end the life of a patient on the grounds that his or her life is not worth living.' * The Voluntary Euthanasia Society looks to the word's Greek origins - 'eu' and 'thanatos,' which together mean 'a good death' - and say a modern definition is: 'A good death brought about by a doctor providing drugs or an injection to bring a peaceful end to the dying process.' * Three classes of euthanasia can be identified -- passive euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide and active euthanasia -- although not all groups would acknowledge them as valid terms." * What is physician-assisted suicide/physician aid in dying? * It is descriptively accurate and carries with it no misleading connotations. * Other contributors to this volume prefer the synonymous term physician-assisted suicide because it is technically accurate, and still others prefer physician aid in dying because it is relatively neutral. * Although suicide can be considered heroic or rational depending on setting and philosophical orientation, in much American writing it is conflated with mental illness, and the term suggests the tragic self-destruction of a person who is not thinking clearly or acting rationally. Pros:

* Everyone has the right to die * The right of a competent, terminally ill person to avoid excruciating pain and embrace a timely and dignified death bears the sanction of history and is implicit in the concept of ordered liberty. * The exercise of this right is as central to personal autonomy and bodily integrity as rights safeguarded by this Court's decisions relating to marriage, family relationships, procreation, contraception, child rearing and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment. * In particular, this Court's recent decisions concerning the right to refuse medical treatment and...

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...Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, and more loosely termed “mercy killing”. Should it be legal? Assisted suicide can lead to the dangerous policy of valuing one human life more than another. If pain is the gauge by which we decide if life is "worth living", then any human being, at any time of emotional distress, would have grounds to end his/her life.
As a believer in the sanctity of life and limited government, I do not believe that any state has the right to end an innocent life, even if the person asks for death. I would not want to set the precedent that life is only valuable, as long as it is comfortable. Doctors take an oath to preserve life not to destroy it, and ending one is the equivalent under any circumstances. Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are both illegal in most of the world, but both are legal in the Netherlands and in Colombia{Euthanasia}. In the United States, physician-assisted suicide is legal only in the state of Oregon. According to a May 2004 Gallup Poll, 53% of all Americans feel euthanasia is morally acceptable, while 41 percent believe it is wrong {Schiavo}.
Since religion concerns itself with issues of life, death, meaning and morality, it is not surprising that, for many people, religious beliefs are the main basis for their views of euthanasia. While there are certainly many other factors that contribute to one's position on...

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Euthanasia in our Society
Since the era of the Christ, Euthanasia’s issues on society and acceptance are yet to change. Debate over whether a patient who is suffering should have the choice of ending their lives by an assisted physician has reached its way to even the Supreme Court. Whether or not ending your life should be allowed, it is a radical ultimatum. This ultimatum defines whether you either live to suffer or die while they have a sense of dignity left. Human beings have the right to the Pursuit of happiness; yet suffering in a world where nothing is left for you seems nothing joyful at all. Although this is true, laws against euthanasia are in place to prevent and protect people from unscrupulous doctors, not to mention the emotional and mental self-destruction it causes to loved ones.
Having the right to die is just as important as having the right to life, yet there are many aspects that come into play. The first person to choose a statutory sanctioned death with physician assistance was Bob Dent of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, who died September 22, 1996. This was possible under the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act which had become effective July 1, 1996 in Northern Australia (Walters, “Death-Whose...”). The Terminally Ill Act was the stepping stone towards ending the suffering of those who don’t desire to live anymore. Controversy over the right to die starts with the question if physician assisted suicide should...

...I. Introduction
A. Euthanasia should be legal in the United States.
II. Body Paragraph One
A. What is Euthanasia? What is not Euthanasia? Types of Euthanasia.
1."Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide (dying) , doctor-assisted dying (suicide) , and more loosely termed mercy killing, basically means to take a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable (persistent, unstoppable) suffering. Some interpret euthanasia as the practice of ending a life in a painless manner. Many disagree with this interpretation, because it needs to include a reference to intractable suffering. There are two main classifications of euthanasia: Voluntary euthanasia - this is euthanasia conducted with consent. Since 2009 voluntary euthanasia has been legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and the states of Oregon (USA) and Washington (USA). Involuntary euthanasia - euthanasia is conducted without consent. The decision is made by another person because the patient is incapable to doing so himself/herself"("What is Euthanasia?")
2. Quote tells definition of euthanasia and tells different types of euthanasia. Important because the reader must know what Euthanasia is to...

...Legalization of EuthanasiaEuthanasia is defined as the act that is undertaken by a physician that intentionally ends the life of any person at their request (Pereira). It is funny considering that death is permitted for the sake of punishment of a crime, but not for mercy to a terminal patient. I believe that a patient should not be denied the right to a dignified death on the grounds that they are unable to physically do it themselves. Legalizing euthanasia would help ease the suffering of terminally ill patients. It is unfair to make anyone go through such pain. Our bodies are our own and we should be allowed to do what we want with them. I believe that permitting physician-assisted suicides while prohibiting euthanasia is discriminating to patients in the end stages of illness that are unable to terminate their own suffering. Euthanasia should be a part of a patient's right that allows them to decide the value of life and death for themselves. Having a patient on life support systems against the patient's wishes (DNR or do not resuscitate) is considered unethical by law. The patient has the right to discontinue treatment, so they should have the right to end their life to end their pain and suffering. Making a person go on living when they don't want to violate personal freedom, human rights and our right to choose our own destiny in a way.
There are a few principles that are argued when it...

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Euthanasia in Canada: Issues and Arguments
Intro To Criminology 1150-005
Word Count - 1657
1
Euthanasia in Canada has been a big issue, both morally and politically in Canada over the past couple years. Different groups argue that euthanasia is a basic human right, whereas opposing groups argue contradictory to that, saying it is not. There have been quite a few legal battles over the right of euthanasia due to this difference in views in Canada -Rodriguez V. BC & Latimer Case-. All cases in Canada however have been shot down by the Justice system in very close votes; the Rodriguez case is a great example in which it missed by 1 vote in a 5-4 decision.
Euthanasia in Canada is currently illegal; so any form of assisted suicide, doctor assisted suicide or pushing someone towards suicide will mean jail time and other reprimands. Any doctor caught counselling suicide or assisting in the act, would have their licence revoked, and face time behind bars. It is illegal, due to our adaptation of parts of the British legal system; which in part took its values from religion -mainly Christianity- (Butler, 2013). The part of the Criminal Code of Canada that bans Euthanasia is section 241(b). Section 241(b) states that “Every one who …. aids or abets a person to commit suicide, whether suicide ensues...

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EL PASO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Euthanasia and Assisted suicide
In November 1994 general election, Oregon voters approved one of the most controversial vote measures in that state’s history. With fifty-one percent in favor and forty-nine percent opposed, Measure sixteen was passed, establishing the Oregon Death with Dignity act. Oregon is one of very few places around the world where the terminally ill can legally choose to end their lives.
The subject of euthanasia is complex. This issue is important to me because all men have the right to be treated as a person until the last moment. People who support assisted suicide believe they are being compassionate. Assisted suicide is not an answer to the problems it seeks to address; it is to surrender to them.
It is an important issue to society because it deals with the purposeful ending of a life. It comes down to watching someone suffer unbearable pain, or spending every time they have just to stay alive. Medicine and the law are the principal institutions that maintain respect for human life in a secular, pluralistic society.
The debate over euthanasia can be confusing because the term itself can be defined and categorized in different ways. Voluntary euthanasia is performed at the patient’s requested and with his or her consent. Involuntary euthanasia is the killing of a patient without such consent and possibly against his...

...Euthanasia: Live and Let Die
Soraya Granados Abad
Instructor: Anne Scott
Advanced Academic English
BowValley College
April 11, 2013
Euthanasia: Live and Let Die
In 2004, Pope John Paul II said “A man, even if seriously sick or prevented in the exercise of its higher functions, is and will be always a man… he will never become a ‘vegetable’ or an ‘animal’. The intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being does not change depending on their circumstances” (Pope John Paul II, 2004). Euthanasia or assisted suicide is the deliberate action of ending a life in order to relieve unstoppable suffering. Euthanasia is legal in Albania, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, as well as some US states. In some of these countries, euthanasia is generally executed by a medical professional taking into account his patient’s needs and desires; but sometimes a medical professional can dispense the last medication ending his patient’s life without the patient’s consent. However, euthanasia and assisted suicide is forbidden in the majority of countries and could be penalized by a fourteen years prison sentence. (“Euthanasia and assisted, intro”). Legalizing euthanasia is extremely controversial moral and legal issue throughout the world, but achieving that goal is extremely necessary. Although legalizing euthanasia could cause negative...

...decade the issue of euthanasia has gained vast support on both of the opposing sides, it continues to be one of the most controversial issues in modern day Britain. The most common form of euthanasia is assisted suicide in which someone suffering from a terminal illness such as multiple sclerosis would ask a family member to aid them in ending their life by whatever means necessary. The general view of euthanasia is the as straight forward as flicking a switch and should be legal based on that juvenile belief. In reality euthanasia can be dissected to reveal an array of tiers in which the simple action is not as clear-cut as it is portrayed. These tiers take the forms of passive, active, voluntary and involuntary. The view is those that oppose euthanasia is based largely on the belief in palliative care and religious reasoning, in which life is portrayed as a gift from god and ending life prematurely is fundamentally wrong. These opposing views are ethical and frequently changing and adapting based largely on public opinion conversely the views of the law is constant and until recently was never questioned yet since the introduction of the European Courts of Human Rights into Britain there has been more and more demand for reform to allow for euthanasia under certain circumstances. It is essential that both sides of the debate surrounding euthanasia are analysed.
To begin...